SQT Blog

There is a general mis-conception in industry that HACCP is a Quality Management System however nothing could be further from the truth as it is 100% a Production Management System. All 4 categories of hazards; Biological, Chemical, Physical and Allergens are controlled by any department other than the Quality Department. As glass, wood, metal, plastic can be found in the majority of food processing environments, one must ask the question, who actually controls these hazards?

Metal
Contolled by the Engineering dept and maybe by Production when they carry out their hourly metal detection check.

Glass
Controlled by Engineering as they install the light diffusers and ensure that any other glass fitting that may exist in the premises is in good repair.

Wood
Generally controlled by the Production department as they ensure the suitability of wooden pallets and only allow them in designated areas.

Plastic
Controlled by the Production department as it is they that open bags when selecting ingredients or control packaging material

I could give many other similar examples for cleaning agents, ammonia, oil and grease, all of which can be found in the manufacturing environment and yet again are controlled by either the Production or Engineering departments.

The implementation of any FBO’s FSMS* resides with the Production and Engineering functions. Quality/Technical’s role is to validate and verify.

* FBO, Food Business Operator
FSMS, Food Safety Management System

Congratulations to Antaris Consulting, our Quality, Environment, Health and Safety and Energy training partner, who recently won a consultancy contract in Saudi Arabia. Gerry Higgins Managing Director of Antaris said We are delighted with our recent appointment by the Ma’aden Phosphate Company in Saudi Arabia to implement an integrated Management System (Safety, Health, Quality, Environment & Energy) in their operations.

The Management System, which is to be completed within a challenging time frame, is to be showcased at the World Enviro-Management Conference 2012 in October of this year.

The system will be implemented at two sites: the mining facility at Jalamid and the processing plant at Ras Al Khair, from where the Diammonium Phosphate (DAM) produced is sold primarily into international markets. These projects form part of parent company Ma’aden’s commitment to develop the mineral wealth of Saudi Arabia and become a catalyst for downstream industries.